American World Championship team member Betsy Steiner began riding at the age of 13. Her first horse was an unruly Palomino mare named Zsa Zsa. Although three-day eventing first drew Betsy into the competitive arena, which has proven to be a great advantage in working with her top notch event riders today, it was a year at Christilot Boylen’s barn that cemented her devotion to dressage.

An unquenchable desire to immerse herself in dressage led Betsy to spend more than two years in Germany with Egon von Neindorff. It was the endless lunge lessons there that Betsy credits with developing her seat. In the years since her first Grand Prix at the age of 20, Betsy has enjoyed working with such luminaries as Uwe Steiner, Herbert Rehbein, Guenter Seidel, Klaus Balkenhol, and Steffen Peters.

During her career, Betsy has successfully trained many horses to Grand Prix including Attache, Special Delivery, Ortac, Komtur, Unanimous, Metternich and Hilltop’s Giotto. With international experience and grand prix wins at prestigious shows around the country, Betsy has enjoyed success at the highest levels for more than three decades. A USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist, Betsy continues to enjoy a successful career.

One of the highlights of Betsy's illustrious career was when she represented the United States at the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden in 1990 aboard her own wonderful Dutch Warmblood, Unanimous.

From May 2001 - June 2002, Betsy enjoyed a partnership with the lovely and elegant Rainer. During this time the dynamic duo dominated the dressage arena and were top contenders at the trials for the 2002 World Equestrian Games.

Currently Betsy is enjoying the training process and success of Findlay’s Titaan, the Dutch gelding she has had under her tutiledge since 2004. Titaan has grown up through the levels and showed his quality, earning a place at the Developing Horse Championships in 2009 and now working towards Grand Prix.

Joli Burrell’s Fino has been in training with Betsy since May of 2009 and is proving to be a great talent now working on all the Grand Prix movements. His scores to date in Prix St Georges and Intemediare are in the high 60’s and 70%. The pair won the East Coast Riders Cup this summer in Saugerties. Look for them this season in Wellington!

Betsy is also working with several talented, quality young horses, either training them for their riders or young talent for sale. Her day is quite happily busy with training her horses as well as training other riders with their horses.

While teaching, training and competing, Betsy also maintains an active interest in the promotion of dressage: she served as the equestrian representative on the Athlete’s Advisory Council to the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1992-1994, chairman of the Active Competitor’s Committee from 1992-1999, and has served on the USET Dressage Committee for a 10 year period.

Betsy has provided commentary for videos of the 1995 World Cup, the 1996 Olympic Games and Dressage at Devon in 2001. She has authored numerous educational articles for top equestrian periodicals including Practical Horseman and Dressage Today. Her book A GYMNASTIC TRAINING SYSTEM USING THE MIND, BODY, SPIRIT APPROACH has sold over 16,000 copies in the U.S. and U.K. Her book has been translated into German. and she holds the prestigious honor of being the only US author to have her book approved by the German FN. A new book is in the works with Trafalgar once again as Publisher.

Betsy's endless desire to improve her own riding as well as her student's through cross-training has led her to the development of EQUILATES™ -- a sport-specific Pilates-based exercise and body awareness program for the equestrian. This program is valuable to all equestrian athletes and has been implemented in several college and university curriculums. For more information on Equilates click on Equilates.com